I refer to the article written by Michael J. Mallia in his capacity as director of Gasco Energy Ltd, entitled Gasco - Truth Versus Fiction (December 19). Mr Mallia claimed that the article was meant in reply to various queries raised in my article criticising the privatisation process of Enemalta's Gas Division.

I was extremely surprised at his decision to reply to my article since at no time did I criticise Gasco. My article criticised the manner by which the government carried out the privatisation exercise such that in my opinion it did not maximize its financial return from such a business deal and it did not include any clause in the agreement with Gasco to safeguard consumers' interests in particular with regard to the pricing of gas. Thus I would have expected some government official to reply to my article.

Likewise, I did not criticise private investment in the gas business especially in view of the fact that as Mr Mallia kindly reminded readers, it was the 1996-1998 Labour administration which started the process of the gas division privatisation. If anything, in my opinion it took the Nationalist government far too long (more than 12 years) to finalise the privatisation procedures.

With regard to Mepa's assertion (in 1997) that the Bengħajsa site posed an aircraft hazard I fully agree with Mr Mallia that this is a very remote risk but at the time Mepa used this justification as a planning reason for recommending the refusal of this location. My criticism is meant to illustrate how Mepa decides on issues depending on who is submitting the application.

Since Mr Mallia himself has decided to reply to the queries raised in my article then he must take the political flak for his actions.

He states (as government spokesmen have also done to justify the agreement with Gasco) that the gas plant at Qajjenza posed a real hazard to residents. I agree totally with this assertion but I would like to remind Mr Mallia that his company Multigas operated within a densely populated area in Ħamrun for many years. Maybe this did not create a real hazard to residents. Multigas moved its operations to Kirkop only after the Nationalist government conveniently closed down one of the departments within the Public Works Division at Kirkop and transferred part of this site to Multigas (which site is very conveniently located adjoining one of Multigas' largest clients). At the time the Kirkop residents opposed this transfer on the basis that it created a health hazard but in spite of this Multigas still built its plant at Kirkop.

Regarding my assertion that this agreement was not carried out in a transparent manner, my "dart" was not aimed at Gasco but at the Nationalist government who refused to publish all the documents leading to this agreement and in particular did not confirm on what parameters it based its decision. Mr Mallia's interpretation of my criticism with regard to the Malta Resources Authority is also incorrect. I fully appreciate that the employees at MRA are doing their utmost to provide the services required from them but we expect MRA to be better funded and to be given more resources if it is to carry out its tasks of ensuring a fair price for utilities to consumers in the most rigorous manner.

Mr Mallia's reply to my article cannot be interpreted in any other way except as a defence of the manner in which the Nationalist government carried out the privatisation process of the gas division. The fact that he chose to reply only confirms what the majority of the citizens of this county have been suspecting for many years.

The present administration is led by the Nationalist Party together with big business. The decisions taken by this administration are therefore in the interest of Big Business and not in the interest of consumers and the families who have to bear the financial burden for such decisions.